James, who suffered the injury Christmas Day in the Lakers’ victory over the Golden State Warriors, has been sidelined for two weeks so far, with the team going 3-5 in his absence.

The four-time MVP was evaluated by L.A.’s team medical staff Thursday and it was determined “the healing of James’ groin injury is progressing,” per the Lakers.

Furthermore, James has been “cleared to increase on-court functional basketball movements,” the team said in a statement.

You know fully well that the NBA isn’t going to like this at all. As I’ve said before, the league wants King James on the court as often as possible. He’s arguably the biggest name in pro sports, and he puts more eyes on the league than anybody else. It’s not even close.

LeBron James is the face of the NBA, and interest is bound to fall off when he’s missing several weeks with an injury.

The Lakers also absolutely need James back sooner than later. He’s the best player on that roster by a factor of about 10.

I’m sure LeBron will take his sweet time to make sure he’s fully healthy before stepping back on the court, and that’s exactly what he should do.

There’s no point in all at rushing a return, especially given the fact the Lakers likely don’t have any shot at a title this year. He might as well take it slow, do the necessary rehab and return once he’s back at 100 percent. NBA executives might not love that idea, but it’s without a doubt the best option.